Christmas Eve

It is probably something that you never think of: what a pastor does or feels on Christmas. If you aren't clergy, it is not as if your life is easy during the days surrounding Christmas. There are presents to buy and wrap, meals to cook, and company to welcome. But, what DOES a pastor do on Christmas Eve? Surely they just show up to church like other religious folks.

Wrong.

Let me share my day with you:

9:00 Wake up (I tried to sleep late knowing what the day would hold)
10:00 On my way to church
10:30 Make Christmas ornaments as an example of a Christmas craft for the Families Christmas Eve Service to be held later in the day
11:00 Stuff and decorate Christmas bags to give to the families who would attend the service
12:00 Lunch with a pastor friend who was also working on Christmas Eve by visiting shut-ins in the neighborhood of my church
1:00 Work on the Stewardship brochure for the church campaign in January. (It needed to be done as soon as possible!). Try to answer emails that I didn't have time for over the weekend, only to find that the Internet is down for the week at church... a bummer!
3:00 Begin setting up for the Families Service
3:15 Decorate the Christmas Tree in the Youth Ministry Center where the service will be. (The tree somehow didn't get decorated this year before today! The youth were to do it two weeks ago but the tree fell on one of them and had to have surgery before it could be decorated).
4:00 Create Sign-in list for the families who will attend the service and put together the welcome table
4:45 Families begin arriving. I try to take a few pictures of the service, while trying to teach the older children the craft and greet guests too. It's crazy! There are volunteers there to help but it takes a few minutes to explain to them what to do.
5:10 The program part of the Families service begins. I lead welcome, telling of the Christmas story and the offering time.
5:45. The Children and their parents have left the church happy! (We had tons of visitors- yeah!). The clean-up process begins. Sequins are everywhere from the craft. I'm digging them out of the carpet.
6:00 I grab a frozen meal to eat in the church freezer before the next service begins.
6:15 I talk with some deacons about the Christmas cookie community project that will begin after the 7:00 service is over.
6:30 I make sure the offering collected at the 5:00 service is in a safe place and greet youth who arrive joyfully in my office. I look for missing music. I unlock doors of rooms deacons need to get into. I try to greet guests as I see them.
6:50 Quick prayer with the other pastors before the service begins
7:10 I lead the call to worship and the passing of the peace.
7:35 I'm giving my third pastoral prayer since Sunday.
7:45 Communion serving time! Gotta love the Baptist grape juice.
8:15 Passing the light of my candle throughout the congregation as they sing Silent Night (but my candle is so old and the flame goes out frequently. I have to trade candles with a congregation member to finish my task).
8:45 I'm almost walking out of the building until someone wants to talk.
9:10 I'm actually leaving work and telling my husband about my day on the phone in the car going home!

But, I've tried to remind myself that this is what being a pastor is all about. You work when many others do not. Weird hours, weird days, weird times of the year-- it is just what the calling means. However, we as pastors don't want to be like everyone else and spend time with our families and friends as you do. It is sad when we have to work when you are home or get to travel to be with the ones who you love. I'm hoping to have some time to chill later on this week! Maybe there is rest in sight.

Happy Christmas Eve to you all.